WhartonConnect to take the Wharton online alumni community to a new level

In the first quarter of 2008, the Wharton School will launch a new online alumni community called WhartonConnect that will revolutionize the way in which alumni can interact with one another and with the School.

Developed in partnership with the Alumni Association Board of Directors and alumni clubs, the new portal will replace WAVE, the existing online community, providing a more user-friendly experience for Wharton alumni worldwide and greatly benefiting them both socially and professionally.

“This system will help the School dramatically in engaging its ever-growing alumni population across the globe,” commented Tama Smith, Chair of the Alumni Board. “Once it is launched, all alumni should visit the site to see for themselves why we think that WhartonConnect will soon become the number one web destination for Wharton alumni.” 

Features include:

• Easier, more in-depth personal profile management
• Improved alumni directories with enhanced search capabilities
• Single sign-on capability to navigate throughout all Wharton sites
• Provision of “@wharton” email address to individual alumni
• Dynamic social networking platform
• Improved job search and job posting functionality
• Enhanced access to Wharton's vast online resources
• More robust and easy-to-use club sites
• Greatly improved integration with club sites and the main Wharton online community

“Some of the wonderful aspects of WhartonConnect are its user-friendly nature and intuitive navigation.  We believe that this new tool will serve as a real catalyst through which alumni might enjoy greater interaction and take a more active role in the Wharton community,” noted Jillian McGowan, Director of Alumni Affairs and Annual Giving. 

With over 82,000 Wharton alumni across the globe, WhartonConnect is the fastest and most convenient way in which to quickly access this network of colleagues and friends. 

Stay tuned for details pertaining to the launch date for this exciting new Wharton site designed exclusively for Wharton alumni.

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Go With Your Gut
Wharton Alumnus and StubHub Founder Jeff Fluhr Counsels Young Entrepreneurs

The most important advice Jeff Fluhr, W’96, got as a young entrepreneur was to go with his gut. Fluhr, founder of online ticket sales website StubHub, says he had to stay focused on his vision for the business even while others who became involved in the business advised differently.

“I learned that it’s important to listen to what others have to say,” said Fluhr. “But you have an obligation to do what you think is right.”
Read More...

Cheerleader and Taskmaster
Discussion with Bob Greene, co-founder of Contour Venture Partners in New York

"A lot of entrepreneurs think VCs are haughty or arrogant," says Greene, who earned his bachelor's degree from the Wharton School in 1982. "All the VCs I know, we do it because we love it. We want to see entrepreneurs succeed. If the wrong impressions get cast, it's because we get inundated with requests for review and capital." Read More...

INSEAD Presents: Strategic Agility

Successful companies often become victims of their own success: when their business matures, they find it impossible to renew themselves. CEOs and corporate management teams are under attack – their tenure is shorter and shorter- and the performance demanded from them higher and higher.  To regain and maintain growth they need to learn to thrive on change and disruption, and strategic agility becomes a key capability.

INSEAD’s Professor of Business Strategy Yves Doz and Mr. Mikko Kosonen, former CIO and CSO of Nokia and current EVP of the Finnish Innovation Fund, will give a series of presentations in 2008 on the theme of Strategic Agility, in conjunction with the publication of their new book,  Fast Strategy: How Strategic Agility will help you stay ahead of the Game, Wharton School Publishing, 2007 http://www.insead.edu/alumni/newsletters/December2007/Faststrategy.pdf.

Please join them for a special reception featuring a keynote speaker, presentation, Q&A session and book signing in:

London - 15 January, 2008, 6-8pm
New York - 5 February, 2008, 6-8pm
San Francisco - 7 February, 2008 6-8pm

For more information, and to register for these events, please contact Muriel Larvaron at INSEAD, Fontainebleau, France (muriel.larvaron@insead.edu  / Tel: ++33.1.60.72.42.43).

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Inside Wharton


Wharton Volunteers Wanted: To volunteer click here

Benjamin Franklin Society
Giving Levels
Participate—Build—Give

Wharton has achieved unparalleled leadership in education – from undergraduate to graduate to executive programs – establishing the School as a model for business education around the globe.  These extraordinary accomplishments could not happen without the loyal support and dedication of the Wharton community.  For more information about how to become a member of the Benjamin Franklin Society please click here.

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Special Alumni Promotions

Wharton School Publishing
Two books from Wharton School Publishing announced as semifinalists for the Best Business Book Awards from CEO Read

800-CEO-READ announced the shortlist and semifinalists for the first annual Best Business Book Awards consisting of titles in the running for being named the best among 13 categories. The list was selected from nearly 300 titles submitted to the 8CR editorial staff and represents the top titles of the year. On January 15, each category will have a selected winner along with one book named as the Best Business Book of 2007.

The category semifinalists are:

 ADVERTISING/MARKETING
Firms of Endearment by Raj Sisodia, Jag Sheth and David B. Wolfe, Wharton School Publishing, 320p, $27.95

The Soul of the Corporation by Hamid Bouchikhi and John R. Kimberly, Wharton School Publishing, 256p, $29.99

Wharton Alumni can take advantage of expanded benefits, including discounts and free domestic shipping. Those who register to become a member can get free access to audio summaries, author interviews and other valuable member only content. Visit www.whartonsp.com/alumni to register and access benefits. All WSP books also are available at the Penn Bookstore.

Wharton Executive Education: Upcoming Programs 

Wharton / Spencer Stuart Corporate Governance: Essentials for New Directors
Mar 17, 2008 - Mar 19, 2008

Corporate Governance Essentials for New Directors is a unique and highly-integrated program designed to promote the leadership and effectiveness of newly-inducted board members. The program was designed jointly by Wharton and Spencer Stuart, one of the world’s leading executive search consulting firms, to be the exclusive entry-point into the highly complex and regulated world of corporate governance.  This program is designed to help you navigate this new terrain and gain the trust of your fellow directors right from the start. The in-depth information presented in the program ensures that you are getting an all-inclusive educational experience — including everything from basic financial skills to the most sophisticated relationship-building skills — that can help you make immediate and positive contributions to the board.

Wharton and Egon Zehnder in India--Governing the Corporation: Enhancing the Effectiveness of the Board
Mar 14, 2008 - Mar 15, 2008, Mumbai, India

The Wharton School, a global leader in executive education, and Egon Zehnder International, a firm specializing in board consulting and building leadership teams, have joined forces with eminent business leaders from corporate India for the third year in a row to offer Governing the Corporation: Enhancing the Effectiveness of the Board.  This program offers strategic insights into the dynamics of the boardroom. Sessions discussing mergers, acquisitions, alliances, and a boardroom simulation will prepare you for the current business climate in India — which is expected to remain in place for the foreseeable future.

Strategic Thinking and Management for Competitive Advantage: 
Apr 13, 2008 - Apr 18, 2008

Strategic Thinking and Management for Competitive Advantage helps you meet, head on, the challenge of building strategy. It distills and applies the latest strategic insights and approaches and helps you accurately assess the competition in your industry. You will learn to create coherent and forceful strategies for your future and get the opportunity to apply these concepts to your own strategic plan.  Designed specifically to broaden your perspective on how to make organizations more competitive, Strategic Thinking and Management for Competitive Advantage examines a variety of options for growth, including alliances, acquisitions, and internal corporate ventures.

Contact a Course Consultant for more information.

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Knowledge@Wharton
Published bi-weekly and available in English, Spanish, Portuguese, and Chinese/Mandarin, K@W has nearly 750,000 subscribers in 189 countries.

A Closer Look at Sovereign Wealth Funds: Secretive, Powerful, Unregulated and Huge

The Abu Dhabi government is buying a 4.9% stake in Citigroup for $7.5 billion. UBS is selling a 10.8% share to the government of Singapore and an unnamed Middle Eastern investor for $11.5 billion. Two Middle Eastern government funds now own a third of the London Stock Exchange. Governments, through investment pools known as sovereign wealth funds, have put tens of billions of dollars into Western financial firms this year. But is foreign ownership -- or, more precisely, foreign government ownership -- really a good thing? Many experts think this mushrooming trend bears watching, especially for any sign that these funds are evolving from pure investment vehicles into tools for exerting political pressure on the "target" countries. Read more...

Marrying Marketing Science with the Front Lines: One Book Publisher's Winning Combination

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